Truck tractors have hoses and electrical cables which extend to trailers for operating trailer brakes, lights and other equipment. The length of the hoses and cables needed to connect the tractor with the trailer varies with the relative angular orientation of the tractor and trailer. For example, the distance between the hose/cable connecting points on the tractor and trailer in an aligned position, as shown in FIG. 1, is typically much less than when the trailer is at an angle to the tractor, as shown in FIG. 2. The lengths of the hoses and cables are resultantly chosen to accommodate the longest anticipated distance between the connecting points. The hoses and cables consequently have a significant amount of slack when the tractor and trailer are aligned, making them vulnerable to damage. Hose supports have long been used to help prevent the hoses and cables from being damaged as the trailer pivots about its hitch point on the tractor during maneuvering. Hose supports also help protect the hoses and cables both from damage and from damaging the tractor when the tractor is operated without a trailer.
One type of hose support has a rail connected directed to a rear side of the tractor's cab. A spring or a strap is slidably mounted on a first end to the rail. The second end of the strap or spring engages the hoses/cables near their midpoint, suspending them above the truck's frame. During maneuvers tending to tension the hoses/cables, the first end of the strap/spring moves laterally along the rail, allowing the hose/cables to be suspended above the frame of the truck without developing excess tension. This type of support has the disadvantage of communicating undesired vibrations into the cab from road induced movement of the cables, particularly when springs are employed. Another disadvantage is that because the rail at the back of the cab is relatively far from the trailer in some tractor/trailer configurations, the length of the hoses/cables extending beyond the support may be too long for the rail to adequately support the hoses/cables when they are uncoupled from the trailer.
Another mechanism used to support hoses and cables is a post-type device which engages the hoses/cables approximately mid-way between the tractor and trailer and is bendably mounted to the tractor frame on a spring base. The post-type supports mounted to the frame of the truck do not transmit vibrations directly into the cab. The hoses/cables cause the post to bend or pivot relative to its base when the tractor and trailer are at an angle to each other, thereby preventing the development of undesirable levels of tension. When the tractor is again aligned with the trailer, the spring restores the post to an upright position. As with the rail support, when the tractor and the hoses/cables are disconnected from the trailer, they may hang lower than desired, making them potentially vulnerable to being damaged, or to damaging other components.
It is therefore desired to provide a post-type hose support, suitable for mounting to a truck frame, which provides improved tensioning of the hoses/cables to minimize the free length of the hoses/cables when the hoses/cables are not connected to a trailer.